“It didn’t get in there accidentally,” Susan Bufano, Greenville County Animal Care Services’ community relations coordinator, said of the photograph. “Somebody had to really work to get that photo in there.”

With no solid leads on the photo, the shelter began filtering through the dozens of adoption inquiries it had received for Soldier. Julie Hensley of Virginia, who used to rescue and train pit bulls, was finally selected to be his new owner.

When Hensley arrived at the shelter to meet Soldier, the staff knew they had chosen the right person for the dog.

“They instantly loved each other,” Bufano said.

As for the photograph Soldier was carrying the day he was found, it remains a mystery. Several inquiries were made at the shelter, but nothing solid ever panned out.

Greenville County Animal Care Services

Soldier was found by animal control in January in South Carolina with a tattered picture tucked inside his collar.

“Our focus was on Soldier, so the photo was secondary,” Bufano said. “We still have the photo and if anyone has any ideas about it, we would love to hear from them.”